SOUTHINGTON - Southingtonâ€™s Economic Development Director Lou Perillo said a unique plan has been put into place for the remediation of the Beaton and Corbin Brownfields site.

On July 6, the Company Arcadis began drilling on the site and taking soil samples. They plan to bring their analysis before the council as well as state agencies such as the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection by the end of August. The town should then have a better idea of the cost to remediate the site. Arcadis was awarded the site study work for a $90,020 bid.

â€śThe most important thing is to get the site cleaned up,â€ť said Perillo. â€śIt was a plating factory until it closed in the late â€™70s. The site then suffered a fire, and the Environmental Protection Agency and DEEP let us fence the site in to avoid safety issues. There is supposedly petroleum contamination as well as other contaminants that we are looking to identify. The three big issues with the site include unknown remediation costs, liability issues and putting into place a redevelopment plan to make it cost-efficient. The strategy that we are planning to implement has never been done before, and it will be monitored by DEEP so that, if we are successful, it can be used as a template for other sites in the state.â€ť

Perillo said that a year and a half ago the state Department of Economic and Community Development gave the town a $400,000 grant to help remediate the former factory site. Once the site study is completed, the land will go to the Connecticut Land Bank for remediation. The town plans to combine the $400,000 grant with $150,000 of town funds to pay for the restoration of the site. The remainder of the balance will be paid by Plantsville-based Lovely Development, Inc., who plan to put up a 13,000 square foot building on the site when it is useable again.

â€śWe are prepared to offer a $40,000 a year tax abatement until the balance is covered or for up to 10 years,â€ť said Perillo. â€śWe hope that by putting this plan in place we will be able to get this property on the tax rolls again.â€ť

Perillo noted that Art Bogen of the Connecticut Land Bank has been the townâ€™s consultant for the project.

â€śWe are very excited that they have committed to working with us on this site,â€ť he said.

Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.